Tuesday, May 06, 2008

On 19th March this yearMark Hoban MP asked the Home Office how many prosecutions for sale of alcohol to a drunk person have been pursued in each criminal justice area in each of the last 10 years; and how many resulted in conviction.

Vernon Croaker Minister at the Home Office in a Written Parliamentary stated that the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for sale of alcohol to a drunken person, under section 141 of the Licensing Act 2003. In 2005 was 32 and in 2007 was 47 for greater manchester alone in 2005 it was zero and in 2006 it was 3.

Greater Manchester Police have recently disclosed that the number of fines imposed on Greater Manchester motorists using a mobile phone rose from 12,904 in 2005 to 16,386 in 2006.

It appears that the number of fines imposed on Greater Manchester motorists in 2006 totalled 142,782, which broken down - was , for seatbelt offences 20,099 ,for neglecting traffic directions 10,186 , and for speeding 60,282.

In the Scotsman today it is revealed that in Scotland alone (pop Max 6 Mn.) alcohol abuse is costing more than £2.25 billion a year. Deaths from liver cirrhosis in men 45-64 alone have risen (latest available figures )– from 30 per 100,000 in 1980 to 70 per 100,000 in 2000.

The case is overwhelming that the Police nationally are failing to use the laws provided by Parliament to address the exploding problem of public drunkeness. Surely if the efffort to attack the problem ranked at the same level as for stopping drivers using mobile phones the effect on late night street violence would rapidly become apparent ?

The changes in Licensing introduced in 2003 were supposed to introduce penalties for licensees who broke th law and for greater control for the Police - no one would argue that cracking down on rogue licencees will solve the problems of youth street violence ..but it will help.

Far more than the gargantuan effort on monitoring / harassing motorist now does on traffic accidents / injuries / fatalaties.